Siege of Barad-dûr
The Siege of Barad-dûr was a key event during the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. Despite suffering severe losses, the Last Alliance leveled Sauron's fortress and wiped out his forces after a brutal siege, during which Sauron's Ring was chopped from his finger. History After the bloody Battle of Dagorlad, the Last Alliance began their invasion into Mordor. They captured the Black Gate but lost many as they passed through Udûn, a plateau north of Mordor, and they failed to break into the Dark Tower. Thus, they laid siege on the Dark Tower. The siege lasted for a total of seven years. Many elves, men and Dwarves were killed in the siege as seemingly endless numbers of arrows, rocks, flaming missiles, and Orc sorties emerged from the tower. Fortunately, Anárion's army from Gondor managed to reinforce the Last Alliance. On the sixth year of the siege, SA 3440, Anárion was hit in the head by a stone and died. Sauron now knew on the seventh year, that although his troops inflicted a lot of damage to the enemy, the only way to stop them was to fight them himself. Sauron's force broke the leaguer and nearly sent the Last Alliance into a retreat. With that, Gil-galad and Elendil challenged Sauron, and they dueled on the slopes of Mount Doom. Sauron, however, was much more powerful, and killed first Gil-galad simply with the heat of his hand, and then Elendil, as Elrond, Círdan, and Isildur helplessly watched. But Isildur, the son of the king, rushed to his father's side as he fell. As Elendil fell, his great sword Narsil broke beneath him. Sauron had been wounded in the battle and let his guard down after slaying the two champions, when Isildur grasped the bottom half of Narsil, and cut the One Ring from Sauron's hand. After the battle, Sauron's body was broken, the tower of Barad-dûr collapsed (without the Ring's destruction the foundations remained), and the Orc hosts were in disarray. Elrond led Isildur into the heart of Mount Doom, where the One Ring was forged, and the only place it could be destroyed. However, he claimed it for his own, which led to his death as well as soured relations between Men and Elves, both of whom blamed the other for the terrifying losses that were incurred during the siege. The Elves were especially angered that the Ring had been kept, but did not possess a military force after the siege significant enough to take it by force. Gondor later reoccupied Minas Ithil and Ithilien, and set watchtowers at the Black Gate, and the pass of Cirith Ungol. However, years of neglect, and the Kin-strife led these areas to be captured by the Nazgûl, with Minas Ithil, later Minas Morgul, falling to the Witch-king. Isildur's father, brother, and Gil-galad were killed in the Siege of Barad-dûr.The Silmarillion, Of the Rings of Power and the Third AgeThe Lord of the Rings, Appendix B: The Tale of Years (Chronology of the Westlands), "The Second Age"The Atlas of Middle-earth, The Second Age, "The Last Alliance" Translations around the World References External link * de:Belagerung von Barad-dûr ru:Осада Барад-дура Category:Sieges Category:War of the Last Alliance